Endurance Weekly: 27th August - 3rd September
- DIVEBOMB Endurance Team
- Sep 4
- 7 min read
This week on Endurance Weekly, the DIVEBOMB endurance team looks ahead to the World Endurance Championship's (WEC's) Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The team also looks back at the GTWC EU (GT World Challenge Europe) Endurance Cup round at the Nürburgring, and covers all of the news stories you may have missed during the week.
WEC Preview: Lone Star Le Mans
Read Aaron's full preview here
After over 50 days away, the WEC will return this weekend for the Lone Star Le Mans. The six hour endurance spectacle will take place at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.
Ferrari still come into the race as the overall favourites to win the Hypercar titles, but were miles off their form from the start of the season at the last race in São Paulo. This leaves an opportunity for other manufacturers such as Cadillac and Porsche to close the points gap, should the trio of 499Ps lack pace again.
Speaking of Cadillac, they sit second in the manufacturers standings, and come into the weekend a one of the main contenders for victory on Sunday. The No.12 and No.38 finished first and second respectively last time out, with all of their drivers hopeful about the coming weekend.
Porsche are close behind the American marque with their third and fourth place in Brazil. Outside of the No.6's second place finish at Le Mans, the 6 Hours of São Paulo was a breath of fresh air for the reigning champions, who until that point had suffered a lacklustre season.
In terms of LMGT3 its the No.92 Manthey Porsche that leads the way, but in what has been an extremely unpredictable class this season, the win could be anyone's. The No.21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari second, with the No.33 TF Sport Corvette in third.
The rest of the LMGT3 pack can be split by just a piece of paper. As always, it will be well worth it to keep and eye on the GT class this weekend.
Drivers this weekend will not only have to endure six hours of racing, but they will have to do it in temperatures north of 30 degrees Celsius. Having enough fluids on board for what will be the hottest race of the year is imperative for the drivers and their health.
The high temperatures will also affect tyre wear. The hotter track surfaces means that the Michelin rubber will degrade much quicker than normal, so drivers will have to nurse the tyres through their stints.
The race will get going at 13:00 local time on Sunday, and run through until 19:00.
GTWC EU at the Nürburgring
ROWE Racing Claim Landmark Nürburgring Victory as BMW Shine on Home Soil
Read Brianna's full review here
BMW delivered on the biggest stage as ROWE Racing triumphed in the penultimate round of the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. Under grey skies in the Eifel mountains, Augusto Farfus, Jesse Krohn and Raffaele Marciello guided the No. 98 BMW to a historic first overall win for the marque on German soil.
Behind them, Winward Racing extended their championship lead with a strong second place, while Rutronik Racing completed the podium after a typically chaotic Nürburgring encounter.
The build-up was already charged with controversy. GetSpeed’s No. 17 AMG faced frantic overnight repairs and looked set for a pit-lane start. Meanwhile, Jules Gounon was left furious after Charles Weerts collided with him in qualifying.
The WRT driver’s penalty – a five-place grid drop – relegated the pole-sitting BMW to fifth, promoting ROWE to the front. “Too poor” was Gounon’s assessment, describing Weerts’ move as “unacceptable” and “unprofessional”. It set the tone for a weekend of high tension and high drama.
Once the race got underway, Augusto Farfus made a perfect launch, holding off Alessio Rovera into Turn 1. Nicki Thiim tried a bold move around the outside but found the gravel, dropping valuable ground. Further back, the Mustang of Arjun Maini stole the headlines early, charging from 17th into the top ten within minutes.
But the Bronze Cup battle sparked the first Full Course Yellow as Darren Leung’s Paradine BMW was taken out by Riccardo Cazzaniga’s Attempto Audi. It was a reminder of just how quickly Nürburgring fortunes can change.
The race soon turned into a story of recovery drives and heartbreaks. Luca Stolz hustled the repaired GetSpeed AMG through the pack before handing over to Fabian Schiller, while Benji Goethe hauled the penalised Garage 59 McLaren from 22nd up to the mid-field.
In the Gold Cup, Thierry Vermeulen impressed in the Verstappen·com Aston Martin, slicing past rivals to put himself in contention. Yet disaster struck for Garage 59, their polesitting McLaren succumbing to terminal gearbox issues – a cruel end to a promising weekend.
Pit lane dramas shaped much of the middle stint. Walkenhorst’s Silver Cup Aston Martin dropped a lap after an early stop, while WRT’s Matisse Lismont was hit with a ten-second penalty for an unsafe release.
The Pro fight remained fierce as Matteo Cairoli extracted pace from the Winward AMG, hauling the “Mamba” into podium range. Rutronik Racing, meanwhile, quietly built momentum as Vincent Abril and Sven Müller exploited rivals’ misfortune. By the halfway point, the order remained fluid, with strategy calls and reliability set to decide the outcome.
The final hour brought the decisive twist. Bronze Cup leaders Conrad Laursen and Ricardo Feller both ended up in the gravel, triggering another Full Course Yellow. The timing could not have been more favourable for ROWE, Winward and Rutronik, who all benefitted from their pit strategy.
When racing resumed, Marciello – in typically clinical fashion – launched clear of Lucas Auer’s Winward Mercedes, building a gap of over four seconds. From that point, the Italian looked untouchable, his consistency underlining why ROWE placed their trust in him for the anchor stint.
Elsewhere, the support classes provided fireworks. In the Gold Cup, Harry King and Chris Lulham converted late pressure into victory, clinching not just class honours at the Nürburgring but also the 2025 Endurance Cup title for Verstappen·com Aston Martin alongside Thierry Vermeulen.
For the Silver Cup, Boutsen VDS prevailed with Loris Cabirou, César Gazeau and Aurélien Panis after Garage 59 were penalised for a Full Course Yellow infringement. Century Motorsport secured a crucial podium with their BMW, extending their lead in the class championship.
Incidents peppered the closing laps, from Kelvin van der Linde’s clash with Thomas Preining to Gazeau spinning the AF Corse Ferrari while struggling for grip. Yet nothing could disrupt ROWE’s rhythm. Marciello crossed the line to secure a landmark win for BMW on home turf, with Farfus and Krohn joining him on the top step.
Behind, Winward’s second place extended their Endurance Cup advantage from one to five points, setting up a tantalising finale in Barcelona. Rutronik’s Porsche completed the podium after a gritty drive, while Haupt Racing’s Mustang slipped from a provisional podium to fifth following a penalty.
By the flag, the classification told a story of opportunity and attrition. ROWE’s triumph was the headline, but Winward’s quiet efficiency may prove the most decisive outcome in the title fight. Rutronik’s consistency kept them in contention, while the likes of Garage 59 and GetSpeed were left to rue what might have been.
What is certain is that the Endurance Cup remains as unpredictable as ever, and with Barcelona looming, no team can afford to take anything for granted.
The Nürburgring once again delivered on its reputation: dramatic, unforgiving, and decisive. For ROWE, it was a day of celebration, a landmark home victory for BMW. For Winward, it was another step towards championship glory. And for the rest of the field, it was a brutal reminder that in endurance racing, fortune can turn in a heartbeat.
Breaking News
WEC
Mike Conway ruled out of Lone Star Le Mans with injury
After a long wait from the previous WEC round, an injury will unfortunately rule out Mike Conway from the Lone Star Le Mans which will take place at COTA.
Conway's collarbone injury took place during training, but has given the opportunity for José María López to replace the Brit again this weekend.
Over in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Jack Hawksworth will replace López in the Lexus RC F GT3.
Read Sharifah's full report here
Peugeot confirm Nick Cassidy for the 2026 season
Nick Cassidy will race with a couple more pistons than he's used to in 2026 as he will get behind the wheel of the Peugeot 9X8 in the WEC.
The move was teased a month ago when Peugeot and Cassidy collaborated on an Instagram post suggesting a future partnership between the two. It it yet to be announced who the Kiwi will replace, however there are rumours suggesting Stoffel Vandoorne will be leaving the team for Genesis.
Cassidy's Formula E plans are also unclear, but it is likely he will be transferring from Jaguar to Maserati as the Italian and French marques are both part of the Stellantis group.
Read Benjamin's full report here
Genesis GMR-001 completes first full test
Months of research and development are leading in the right direction for Genesis, as they undertook five days of testing with the GMR-001 Hypercar. The test took place at the Circuit Paul Ricard - perfect for testing considering its variety of different corners.
Throughout the week, the team's new car achieved 500 laps. While this provides valuable experience to the drivers, it is more prominently an opportunity for the engineers to collect data on the powertrain, aerodynamics and electronic systems.
European Le Mans Series (ELMS)
ELMS release unchanged 2026 calendar
The ACO have announced the ELMS (European Le Mans Series) calendar will be unchanged from 2025 to 2026.
The teams will stay in Barcelona in the prologue and start the year with a four hour race at the Circuit Catalunya on 12th April.
Five more four hour races will follow throughout the year at Le Castellet, Imola, Spa-Francorchamps, Silverstone and Portimão.
However, the 2025 season is yet to finish and the championship battle is still alive. Racing will return to Silverstone on the 14th September and the last race will take place at Portimão on the 18th October.
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